Ballyconnell the first town on the Shannon Erne Waterway upstream of Lough Erne along with the neighbouring village of Bawnboy are the main focus for pike anglers visiting west Cavan.
MAIN PIKE ANGLING WATERS IN THE BALLYCONNELL AND BAWNBOY AREA
1. Brackley Lake is located 3km west of Bawnboy and covers an area of 167 hectares. The amenity area on the north east shoreline provides good access to this lake where parking and a boat slipway are provided. Good bank fishing is available at the promontory known locally as Prospect Point on the northern shore. Car parking is provided and boats can also be launched at this location. This lake contains good stocks of small to medium sized pike but fish in excess of 20lbs have been recorded from the western arm of the lake off Prospect Point where depths are in excess of 4m.
2. Bunerky Lake is located 3km south west of Bawnboy and covers an area of 75 hectares. Access to the northern shore is from roadside car parking to a clean fishable bank. Although there is no dedicated slipway it is possible to launch a boat at this point. Depths to 11m have been recorded in this lake which is known to produce good numbers of small to medium sized pike. Double figured fish are recorded regularly at this popular venue and best results are achieved by fishing from a boat.
(3) Ballymacgovern, (4) Derrycassan, and (5) Coologe Lakes are located 10km south of Ballyconnell and comprise part of the Shannon Erne Waterway. These three lakes have a combined area of 162 hectares, are connected by short river channels and all possess different characteristics. All lakes contain good stocks of small to medium sized pike.
Ballymacgovern to the west is extremely shallow. With the exception of where it joins with the navigation it is of limited appeal to pike anglers. Due to the shallow nature of the water (< 1m) and luxuriant weed growth during the summer pike fishing is not recommended on the main body of this lake.
Derrycassan, the middle lake has depths to 4m mainly in the navigation channel. Good bank fishing is available off the northern shore. Parking is located at the cul de sacs on the northern bank of the channel connecting Derrycassan and Coologe.
Coolloge to the east has depths to 3m. There is good bank access on the eastern shore and car parking is available at Burren Bridge where the waterway exits the lake. This lake is prone to heavy weed growth during the summer months.
6. Killywilly Lake is located 4km south east of Ballyconnell and covers an area of 56 hectares. Access is from a minor roadway close to the eastern shore. To achieve best results it is strongly recommended to use a boat when fishing this venue. Boats can be launched here with the permission of the riparian owners. This lake is generally shallow with depths to a maximum of 4m. This water produces numbers of double figure fish annually.
Satellite PIKE Waters in the Ballyconnell and Bawnboy area
7. Bellaboy Lake is located 2km south of Bawnboy and covers an area of 31 hectares. This lake with depths of up to 8m contains good stocks of small to medium sized pike and is best fished from a boat. The best of the bank fishing is located on the eastern and western shores. Access is limited but pedestrian access is possible from the minor roads to the east and west of the lake.
8. Templeport Lake is located 3km south of Bawnboy and covers an area of 43 hectares. This lake can only be fished from a boat. Access and a slipway are located on the western shoreline. The channels around St. Mogues island are worth exploring.This water is relatively underutilised but it is known to contain stocks of small to medium sized pike.
9. Cuillaghan Lake is located 4km east of Ballyconnell and covers an area of 29 hectares. Access is located on the northern shore where a car park and a 3 peg stand are provided for anglers who are wheelchair users and anglers with reduced mobility. Boats may be launched from this shore by arrangement with the landowner. Small to medium sized pike are regularly taken at this venue but fish of 20lb are a real possibility.
10. Tomkinroad Lake is located 5km east of Ballyconnell and covers an area of 12 hectares. Bank fishing is available on the eastern shore where it is also possible to launch small boats. This reed fringed lake has depths to 6m and produces small to medium sized pike on a regular basis.
11. Long Lough is located 6km east of Ballyconnell and covers an area of 7 hectares. Access is from the minor road located on the western end of the lake. This narrow reed fringed lake varies in width from 50m to 100m and is mainly shallow but has depths up to 5m. This is a popular pike fishing venue which is best fished from a boat. Limited bank fishing is available on the southern shore. This lake contains fair stocks of small to medium sized pike.